MT. PLEASANT - Michigan voters may be asked as soon as May to approve a state sales tax increase as an alternative to higher gasoline taxes and registration fees.

“If we want to get it on the ballot before construction season, we have to get it on the May ballot,” Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, told members of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, meeting in Mt. Pleasant Thursday.

Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday urged lawmakers to come up with a way to raise $1.2 billion a year to fix the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges. Kahn, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations committee, said one idea is to provide voters a choice of whether they’d rather pay a lot more at the gas pump or little more for everything.

“To take care of the problems we have, it’s going to take $120 a year per vehicle,” Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle told the construction trade group. “That amount is going to get you preservation of what you have.”

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But many Republicans are extremely reluctant to vote for any kind of a tax increase for anything. Rep. Wayne Schmidt, a member of the House Transportation Committee, admitted that some Democratic votes would be needed to get the increase passed.

He wouldn’t say how many. Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, the chairman of the Transportation Committee, said some political deals could be struck to get Democrats on board.

When pressed by senior state capitol correspondent Tim Skubick, who moderated the panel discussion, Casperson and the others said backing off on right-to-work wasn’t one of the things that Republicans would deal on. Right-to-work legislation that rocketed through the GOP-controlled Legislature during 2012’s lame duck session angered and alienated many Democrats and union members.

Democrats, reacting to the State of the State address, said Snyder’s proposal for more road funding was continuing to place more burdens on the middle class.

“It’s clear the governor’s idea of how to pay for roads is yet further increases taxes and fees paid by middle class and working families,” said.Tim Greimel, recently elected as leader of the House Democratic caucus.

Steudle said the state is facing a choice of spending about $10 billion more than it is now over the next 10 years, or doing nothing, and seeing the cost balloon to $25 billion. He also said Michigan drivers pay, on average, $81 more each year in car repairs because of damage done by poor roads.

Michigan’s retail-level motor fuels tax has been set since 1997 at 19 cents per gallon for gasoline and 15 cents per gallon for diesel fuel. State officials say inflation and improved fuel efficiency have steadily eroded the transportation fund’s purchasing power, leading to the deterioration of Michigan roads. If nothing is done to raise more repair money, two-thirds of the roads will be in poor condition by 2020,

House Speaker Jase Bolger said earlier that Republicans declined to endorse particular measures but said the Legislature had to solve the transportation funding shortfall.

“I’m the most optimistic I’ve ever been,” Steudle said, “that this will get done.”